Mouse Trap

Mouse Trap

Class	Fishing and Trapping
Weight	0.3
Trap Strength	50
Catches	Mouse Rat
Metal Value	2
Location	Containers
Spawn ID	`/additem Base.TrapMouse`

The Mouse Trap is a small spring trap for catching mice and rats. It is the simplest trap in the game and the one most trappers start with.

It suits a beginner trapper living in or near town. Mice and rats are about at any hour, so the trap works day and night. Its main strength is how sturdy it is, being the toughest of the traps. Its main cost is the small size of the catch.

The mouse trap comes from loot, mostly on kitchen and restaurant counters. The Fishing Guide is the best occupation for fishing and trapping. It starts with the most Fishing skill. For Trapping, the Park Ranger starts strongest.

Using

The trap is placed on the ground and baited. Every in-game hour it checks for a catch. A mouse has a base chance of about 30 percent and a rat about 25 percent. Trapping skill, the bait and the area all raise or lower those odds.

Cheese is the best bait for both animals. Processed Cheese comes next, then Peanut Butter. Tomato and Chocolate also work, but less well. A fruit or vegetable bait has to be fresh to count.

The area matters. Mice and rats are most common around farms, trailer parks and towns. They turn up less in open vegetation and rarely in forests. A trap only makes a catch while every survivor is more than 80 tiles away, so a trap line is best left alone for a while.

The Cage Trap, Box Trap and Crate Trap all go after rabbits, squirrels and raccoons at night. The mouse trap is far tougher than any of them. Its strength is 50, against 20 for the Cage Trap and 15 for the Box Trap.

Upkeep

Each hour without a catch, a trap may lose its bait or break. A stronger trap loses bait and breaks less often. With its high strength, the mouse trap rarely needs rebaiting or replacing. A caught animal is collected from the trap as a Dead Mouse or a Dead Rat.

Trapping

The animals the Mouse Trap can take, with the base chance before bait and skill, the hours they are about and what the catch becomes.

Animal	Chance	Hours	Catch	Image	Spawn ID
Mouse	30%	Any time	Dead Mouse		`/additem Base.DeadMouse`
Rat	25%	Any time	Dead Rat		`/additem Base.DeadRat`

Locations

Kitchen and restaurant counters are the best places, holding one well over a third of the time. That covers bakeries, bars, cafes, diners, cafeterias, burger and Chinese kitchens and break rooms. Candy stores and butchers keep them on the counter just as often. It is a common find in any town.

The places where it spawns, with the rough chance per container. Each tab shows one kind of place.

Location	Container	Chance
Arena kitchen	Counter	39%
Arenakitchen storage	Counter	39%
Catfish kitchen	Counter	39%
Deepfry kitchen	Counter	39%
Dining	Counter	39%
Fishchips kitchen	Counter	39%
Italian kitchen	Counter	39%
Mexican kitchen	Counter	39%
Theatre kitchen	Counter	39%
Western kitchen	Counter	39%

Location	Container	Chance
Bakery	Counter	39%
Bakery kitchen	Counter	39%
Bar	Counter	39%
Twiggy's bar counter	Counter	39%
Bar kitchen	Counter	39%
Bar storage	Counter	39%
Burger kitchen	Counter	39%
Butcher	Counter	39%
Cafe	Counter	39%
Cafe kitchen	Counter	39%

Location	Container	Chance
Break room	Counter	39%
Hotdog stand	Counter	39%
Juice stand	Counter	39%
Viplounge	Counter	39%
Janitor's room	Counter	12.8%
Janitor's room	Metal shelves	12.8%
School storage	Counter	12.8%
Farmer	Counter	10.4%
Farmer	Cardboard box	9.4%
Farmer	Crate	9.4%

Location	Container	Chance
Any building	Zombie wearing a exterminator suited outfit	30.3%

Location	Container	Chance
Survivor safehouse (mid game)	Counter	15.9%
Survivor safehouse (late game)	Counter	10.8%
Survivor safehouse	Counter	9.1%
Survivor cache (large building)	Counter	2.1%